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Titus
and Ross s/t (Titus and Ross) |
This rare psychedelic folk album from Marion, Indiana has become somewhat collectible in recent years, no doubt because of the track "Cycle Thing.""Cycle Thing" was written and performed for ABC Wide World of Sports coverage of the Motocross motorcycle competition Oct. 26, 1969 from Pepperell Mass. It was the first time original music was ever used for an ABC sports presentation. "Cycle Thing" sounds like a drugged out folk song that could have been written by a California folk artist from the time. "Jean Claude What's-His-Name" was written and performed for the ABC Wide World for Sports coverage of the slalom competition on Dec. 13, 1969 from Val D'Isere France. It was aired on December 20, 1969. Other tracks, like "Summer Clouds" were written and performed for an industrial film for Eastern Airlines. Overall the album features interesting folk songs with two-part harmonies and sparse production of guitar, bass and drums.
Titus and Ross consisted of Jack Ross and Art Titus. They were produced by Bubba Fowler. Fowler had his own record out at this time
I slept on this one for too long. But I picked it up a month ago and can't believe I've neglected it for so long. I believe Redd Hott was the last incarnation of Indianapolis' ManChild. Produced by George Kerr, the album features excellent production and infectious grooves with great boogie dance floor potential. This album can probably still fill a dance floor. I can only imagine how it could have packed a New York dance floor in a few minutes. Even though the album is dated 1982, tracks like "Ecstasy" somehow sound still relevant. I could be wrong, but I believe this features Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds in one of his last group efforts before he went solo. It may also contain Rhythm Machine members such as Kenny "Flash" Ferrell. Although the album was released in the early 80s, it is fairly difficult to get, especially in the regular release, which features the above red and blue cover. The promo-only version, with a generic cardboard cover, seems to be more readily available, and commands far less money on the collector's market. In addition to the boogie-funk tracks, discerning sweet soul fans will enjoy "Love is for Keeps." Well worth tracking down and probably one of the best early 80s albums from Indiana. There are few 12" that came off this album and I haven't had the opportunity to check them out, but they shouldn't be too hard to find. |
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Very obscure left-field progressive free jazz rarity that would make Dante Carfagna blush with envy (if he doesn't already own one). I don't know much about this one, except that it appears to be mid-70s and likely recorded by South Bend piano legend Eddie Sears. Sears burst onto the jazz scene in the late 60s and early 70s, making a splash with his experimental playing and reckless lifestyle. Those who played with him say he played hard and lived a harder lifestyle. I had thought at one time that Eddie Sears had released only one record, a posthumous album called "Eddie Sears Remembered" But then I saw this slip by on Ebay a few weeks later. How many Eddie Sears piano players could there be anyway? From what little I can gather about Eddie Sears, he left Indiana sometime in the mid-70s and moved to the West Coast. During that time he formed a progressive jazz combo. At some time, he released this album. It's more of a bootleg, than a real record though. Apparently a live recording, Year of the Dragon essentially features two tracks of freak-out jazziness, off-kilter drumming and bizarre atonal chord patterns. Recommended for advanced listeners only. |
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For too long the Style album has languished in obscurity, unknown to even some of the hardest soul and funk collectors around the world. Certainly the most obscenely rare soul album out of Indianapolis, Style was one of the most popular soul groups in the early 80s. It's membership included Jerry Brown, Katharine Carter, Donald Daily, William Drane, Terry Moncrief, Diane White and Thomas Woods. Both Thomas Woods and William Drane were original founding members of Soul Relation Show Band that recorded on John Footman's obscure "Beetle" imprint their incredible "Mongo Strut" way back in 1972. They later shortened their name to SRB and eventually morphed into Style. According to Woods the reason for this was that the world "soul" was considered a bit old-fashioned to have in your name by the late 70s. Rumor has it that producer Jim Horton (who also produced Fabulous Souls - Take Me) threw away a small garage unit filled with this album sometime in the earls 2000s and a couple hundred were accidentally burned by the guitarist Woods. It's really too bad because it's an album whose time is yet to come. You won't likely find one soon, but it's worth picking up if you stumble across one. The album itself is a strong mixture of mid-tempo soul cuts and ballads with great singing. True, the material's arrangements and instrumentations are dated by the synthesizer sounds, but it only makes the material more memorable and more exciting to listen to. It's hard for me to forget that Woods informed me that his SRB band was heavily influenced by George Clinton's Parliament and the rock-oriented soul/funk arrangements shine through. Several years ago I was lucky enough to stumble across one of the Style test pressings in a collection in Indianapolis. The guy who had it thought for some reason that the record was never issued. Indeed, the original proved to be as elusive to find as the test pressing. Both the original gold cover and the test pressing are shown in the photos above. Some of the stronger tracks include "Video Playgirl" and Terry Moncrief penned, "All I need is you" and "Holding On". For early voice-box freak-outs check out "Disconnect Notice." |
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Mysterious demo only funk lp from Evansville Indiana. Hopefully we'll find a little bit more about Steady Wailin' Sid sometime in the future, but for now, the only thing I know of him is this strange album, presumably on his own Rock Staedy label. I'm not a true funk historian, but this has to be unusual to have half an album devoted to Bicentennial themes, but Steady Sid hits '76 on all cylinders with tracks like "Spirit of '76" and "Make it Ring." The standout track is "Mechanic" -- a soaring string section and steady beat make it a perfect dance floor number-- My Battery's got a dead cell Since I lost the lady that I loved so well Put me back in the driver's seat Gimme a lifetime Guarantee. I need a Mechanic, my love life Needs repair, I swear Mechanic touch it up (touch it up) here and there
Other tunes include the bizarre anti-cop funk-up "Pig" features pigs noises blurting along with the drummer. Check it out if you can. I hear there might be 45s by this guy out there as well. Maybe some of you can enlighten us.
Produced in 1974 at Moe Whittemore’s 700 West studio, Primevil’s Smokin’ Bats at Comptons, is one of the heavy rock monsters of the Midwest. With a heaviness that sounds like Black Sabbath lead by two virtuoso guitarists Jay Wilfong and Larry Lucas. Their chemistry can be heard on “Hey, Lover” allegedly composed and recorded in one night in Whittemore’s New Palestine studio. Legend has it there used to be hundred count boxes of this record floating around. At least one thrift store was reputed to have had multiple copies of the lp at one time. Today, it is relatively scare and commands about $100 value of among both psych and heavy rock collectors.
Caroline Peyton is now known as the woman behind many of Disney’s animated cartoons -- Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. But before she moved on to cartoons she was a serious singer songwriter who attended Indiana University as a choral student. Her first album for Barbq records was Mock-up, a solo effort that is often compared to the contemporaneous work of Joni Mitchell. For Intuition she abandoned the straight folk form in lieu of a salmagundi of styles – rock, psych, even funk and soul were incorporated in the music, thanks in part to the work of producer Mark Bingham and his band, the Screaming Gypsy Bandits. The album saw some national distribution though it continues to be fairly rare, even in Indiana. Demand for the record has soared in recent years, mostly due to the recent play the album has received in the hands of world-renowned DJ Gilles Peterson.
Probably the rarest rare-groove record out of Indianapolis, Russel Webster’s 1983 double lp release is damn near impossible to find. It’s not well known among collectors, even though a shortened version of the title track Uncle Funkenstein Died was released on Ubiquity Records on their jazz dance compilation Feelin’ Good. One entire disc is devoted to three versions of the amazing Latin groove monster that serves as the title track “Together Again – Uncle Funkenstein – Straight”, “Uncle Funkenstien – Died” and “Together Again” all based on the same Latin theme. It is a totally incredible and epic disc that contains everything from rattling bass lines to solo flute overtures, stinging horn arrangements and Webster’s notable tenor sax. Although all three versions of the theme are very similar in arrangement, they are clearly different takes, with differing solos and resolutions. The second disc in the set is not as notable. It contains the inexplicable “Where does life come from” featuring Russel Webster as vocalist as well as traditional quartet and larger combination material. It also contains a few dubious sessions that fuse traditional jazz with the sounds of the 80s. Listen to “500 Finished” to hear a horrendous concoction of p-funk of Russel Webster jamming on top of a band called The Bush Gang. The triumvirate of Uncle Funkensteins is enough to make this the crown jewel of Indiana’s late 70s and early 80s jazz scene. In my opinion it deserves a lot more attention than it seems to get in the collector's community.
Great, GREAT live recording of the Roy Meriwether Trio featuring Roy Meriwether on piano, Bill Conway on Bass violin and Billy Jackson on Percussion. Outstanding, if only for the 21 minute side 1 rendition of the Quincy Jones penned tune, "Nubian Lady." Check out the phenomenal drum and bass interplay between Conway and Jackson two-thirds of the way through the song -- it's as close to hip hop as Jazz ever gets without going towards Headhunters. This was recorded at the Magic Carpet in Dayton Ohio, March 1973 and pressed on Chuck Workman's Stinger label (Stinger 1000). There is also a 45 on Stinger of Nubian Lady, though I've not heard it. I assume it's an edited version of the tune. Roy had a second disc on Stinger which is also excellent and I've only seen a few times for sale. Chuck Workman told me there was a third lp called something like "Black Snow," but I've never seen it and assume it probably never was released. If I ever get my act together I'll try to reissue this record.
Bloomington-based jazz guitarist Royce Campbell picked up his first guitar in 1961 and never looked back. He began performing with Henry Mancini in the early 70s and even played with Marvin Gaye for a while in 1973 before rejoining Mancini's group again. In the early 80s he cut his first solo guitar record on Bloomington's Redbud label. He released Around the Town in 1986. As one would imagine the recording style is quite dated, including many digital guitar effects popularized during the 80s such as chorus and flange and even some popping p-funk bass lines. But that shouldn't detract from the overall beauty of the album. Many of Indianapolis' finest musicians such as drummer Art Reiner are featured on this recording. Art Reiner also played on Russel Webster's Uncle Funkenstein. Around the Town veers wildly between Latin and funky wah-wah jazz. Campbell was obiously heavily influenced by a lot of Latin jazz at this time. Check out the wonderful solos on the downtempo "Carlos" or the uptempo "Viper.". Overall a rewarding experience when viewed through the prism of it's time. Purists who like the rough analog sound of the early 70s funky jazz or the rich tonality of a Rudy Van Gelder recordings from the 50s and 60s wont like this album because of it's clean recording technique.. But for those who enjoy jazz, regardless of it's age, this album is a rewarding listen.
Mo Whittemore's first and only album on his own 700 West label is one of Indiana's oddest left-field rarity. Ostensibly a selection of publishers demos, the album was rumored to have been printed in a very small run of only 300 copies. The style runs the gamut from beat-heavy progressive rock on "Nowhere To Go" and "Slammer" to futuristic space noodlings on "K2- 3rd Movement". "Congratulations" is sounds like a lost Pink Floyd out-take from Dark Side of the Moon. The final track on side A -- Muscle Pumpkin is thinly veiled ode to Captain Beefheart -- sounding like a Trout Mask Replica attack complete with choral background singers and Ornette Coleman oboe (courtesy Mo) The flip is dominated by more "normal" songs, including drum-heavy "Make a Little Wine" which saw some local airplay as a 45 rpm release back in 1976. It begins with a monstrous break-beat that sounds like bong-smoking noises in the background. Two country songs follow. Anthony Black of Lamp Records fame (Tony Black and the Revolution) provides vocals on the sweet soul masterpiece of Indianapolis -- "Check Me Out." Absolutely sickening!! All in all, the album is something between a demo to promote his recording studio and a library record of styles. Absolutely recommended to beat heads, library collectors and psych fans. Other Reviews
It's hard to believe it, but I think Black Ruby, released in 1972 ,is better than her first release on Zodiac two years earlier. Much funkier and more aggressive, with great tunes with "Didn't I Fool You?" which has one of the greatest descending orchestral arrangements of all time to punctuate the move between choruses and verses. But this album is killer all the way -- "Overdose of Love", "(I want to be) Whatever it takes to please you" and the incredible "You Ole Boo Boo You" I'm not sure why but Black Ruby includes one song recycled from her first album, "You made a Believer out of me." Very, very rare and hard to find. My own copy is an ok VG and I'd love to upgrade if I could find another!
I really enjoy this album a lot, especially the pimped out gospel cut "Save our Souls" I have to admit I slept on this for a while, because I absolutely despise the rest of his work. It has the kind of uninspired mid-70s Bohannon-Beat that sold a million records but now sounds tired and dated. The work on this album is original and it sounds at times like a great blaxploitation soundtrack. Check out "Pimp Walk," and the even better "Getting to the Other Side."
A New York-based new wave/funk/punk outfit put out this incredible album on Z Records in 1979. Produced, composed, arranged and mixed by James White, the album is a mix of raw funk influenced punk driven by fantastic guitar/drum work. It lurches, staggers and pops like Johnny Rotten with tourettes. You can catch 12" remixes of some of these tunes, but the album is good enough. Essential if you like aggressive new wave and punk but good enough that someone with a pure funk pedigree will walk away with a satisfied listen.
Dig that afro! An obscure late-70s recording by Oakland resident Carrie Cleveland. Cleveland was a regular performer cabarets and hotels around the Bay Area. A mix of disco and lounge, it's unfortunately not very memorable. It sounds like it was recorded with a casio keyboard for all the instruments. Simply doesn't live up to the promising cover photo. Still an interesting modern soul album that is apparently rare enough that some locals don't even know it exists.
I was surprised to find myself liking this album as much as I did. It's a great psych album from 1969 that is fairly difficult to find. It's found some following among psych collectors, but never really took off, perhaps because of the creepy old man on the cover and the questionable choice of the groups name "Mr. Flood's Party." It certainly doesn't scream excitement. Very heavily influenced by British bands like the Beatles, it's a great listen all the way through and well worth checking out.
Presumably a LA/Bay Area spoken word black power poetry piece by female proto-poet/rapper Roach Om. I've read somewhere online that the background music is by local Juju who also recorded Mozambique on Strata-East records. Too bad Roach won't stop talking for a second to let the ethnic mixture of Juju shine through. The album provides very few hints as towards its origin, but that it was recorded at United Sound in Burbanke, CA. It's very easy to sleep on this, since it's cover makes it look like one of those hideous high school orchestra productions. Although the LP lists 22 tracks total for both sides, there are only 5 actual individual tracks on the album, as much of Roach Om's prognostication is blurred by the same backing track. As a local relic of California's black power history, I have found this a fascinating peephole into that world. However, I'll be the first to admit, it's not the kind of album I have at the top of my turntable rotation.
Great album by tenor-saxophonist Hans Dulfer. A rock-jazz legend whose experiments are sometimes outlandish and unlisteanable. But this improvised psych-rock-jazz workout is stronger than many of his other recordings, thanks to fantastic drum-work from Martin van Duynhoven. The album is a salmagundi of styles, but early Latin-influenced progressive rock is the main thrust of these sound nuggets. Great all around and well worth searching out. But it might be hard to track down, as the label Catfish is a tiny and obscure Dutch label. Labelmates Ahora Mazda are legends in the psych arena. If anyone has a discography of Catfish recordings I would love to see it. I also have Dulfer's Morning after the Third. It's more latin-influenced, but more predictable and less exiciting than Candy Clouds.
Essential garage/underground sound of the late 60s by The Music Machine. Music Machine was the brainchild of Sean Bonniwell, who later went on to front Bonniwell's Music Machine. The original material was all produced and written by Bonniwell and it is nothing short of astounding. "Talk Talk", "Masculine INtuition" and "Come on In" are all great songs, but the remainder of the album consists of so-so covers like "See-See Rider", "Hey Joe" and "96 Tears" If this album had been all originals it would be a classic of the era, but the cover material drags it down.
A strong latin record that I contains the excellent "Freak off." This is an incredible track that deserves all the attention it gets. Band leader Larry Harlow went on to front and produce many great latin groups, but this album may be one of his strangest. Released in the late 60s it may have been one of the earliest instances of Latin Orchestra music fusing with the psychedelic lightshows of the era. While the album is composed of several Boogaloos, Shingalings and even an Afro-Twist, the rest of the rest of the tunes are a bit more pedestrian than "Freak Off". But don't sleep on "That Groovy Shingaling" or "groovin' to the Afro Twist." Worth picking up if you're lucky enough to find one.
This is the kind of music you'll either love or hate, but you won't have luke-warm feelings about. It's essential Midwest ethno free-jazz brainstormed by Idris Ackamoor. Released in Ohio in 1974, the Pyramids included Idris Ackamoor, Margo Ackamoor, Hekaptah, Donald Robinson and Kwame Kimathi Asante all playing instruments like talking drum, Bailophone, one-stringed goge, calypso box, conga drums, Ugandan harp, Hagstrom bass and more. Personally I love this album, but for some, it will sound like insane racket. To me it's a beautiful window into a time when African-Americans were taking a serious look at their African heritage. Ackamoor is currently a Bay Area resident and still performs with a new group. Pyramids also released a second album on Pyramid, Lalibela as well as Birth, Speed, Merging.
Straightforward, but astoundingly good soul album by the Soul Sisters on Sue. The Soul Sisters hit it big with a few 45s for Sue back in the mid 60s but their album has remained difficult to find. It's great up tempo affair of classic northern stompers that are infectious and groovy. Check it out. This is the sound where r&b was born.
Very solid psych/garage/funk album released on the Mexican label, Raff. This is the first of Cosa Nostra's two albums on this label. Very highly sought after by psych fans as well as funk collectors because of it's garage/funk aesthetic. You cannot sleep on insanely good tunes like "Squeeze it Tight" and "Cosa Nostra" as well as "Get down and do it" There is also a forgettable cover of John Fogerty's "Proud Mary". Essential and tough to find in good condition. If you like latin soul mixed with hard psych and dirty boogaloo with fuzz guitars, this is for you.
Classic and great tropicalia/psych album by Brazillian singer Gal Costa. Many of the tunes were written by Tropicalia co-conspirators Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben and Caetano Veloso. This is a wild psych album which is dominated by Gal's screaching vocals that can go from soothing to grating in a matter of seconds. Although it has some desirability among psych fans, world beat and rare groove cats are also hip to the track "Taureg" which is a fantastic, almost club-friendly middle-eastern beat epic.
Pretty good psych lp which is very uneven. Great garage tracks like "Room at the Top" and soft pop gems like "Love, don't talk to strangers" somehow make it onto the same record as songs like "It might be easier to stay home" which has that kind of Rocky-Racoon style hillbilly psych I totally despise.
Really nice obscurity from New York. I love this album, it's great soul with a dash of funk and a dash of disco. It's not heavy on drums, but th arrangements and singing are superb. Highly recommended. Check out "Let's Talk" and "Come into My World." It's a very short album, but that makes it even better. Probably one of my all-time favorite covers as well.
Great, but limited soundtrack that consists of one decending fugue, repeated in different ways by a small combo. Originally released on French EMI as the soundtrack for a futuristic cartoon, La Planete Sauvage has been coveted by beat-heads and library fans for several years because of it's stripped-down funk instrumentals. This is an eerie listen,
One of the greatest soul recordings of the late 70s. This features the now legendary Hi recording group and it has Al Green at his sweetest. Every song is a winner. 100 percent recommended. Essential tunes like "I'm Still in Love with You", "Love and Happiness" and more.
Live from the Olympia in Paris, the fantastic Love Machine! I'm not sure of the history behind the Love Machine, but it was released in 1973 by the French label Barclay and available only in Europe. Love Machine was something like an early cover band that toured Europe and did American soul standards. You get Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady", Norman Whitfield classics "Papa was a Rolling Stone" "Superstar" and "Plastic Man" and "Friendship Train" There is even a pretty decent cover of Terry Callier's "It's All Up to You" The whole album's got a big filled-in sound with horns, group back-up vocals and good up tempo cuts. Love Machine was recorded live and the group sounds like it must have been great to watch, but overall there is nothing spectacular about the performances.
Certainly my favorite release on Brunswick. It has a great mix of funk that has been compared to early Kool and the Gang along with tunes that are great up tempo Northern in style. Don't sleep on this one. It's been reissued by Soul Brothers, so demand has slacked a bit for the original. If you see it, pick it up. This has so many good songs -- it's one of the few holy grails that lives up to the hype. The title track is great as are instrumentals like "Loose Hips" and "Blood Donors Needed". Speaking of Brunswick, don't sleep on Exit 9's "Straight Ahead". It's a great album in the same tradition, except released a few years later and more influenced by the prevailing sounds of disco.
A later Brunswick release, this is not nearly as memorable as the Eliminators or Exit 9, but it's still a good showband album of the disco era.
Interesting early 80s funk release on Chicago label Cashear. Loveship is actually a bit better than you might guess from the cover, but it is certainly influenced by the synthetic 80's slap bass funk that stands at the polar end of the funk spectrum. The singing is excellent on the title track "Love ship" which slinks and kicks with whispered vocals over poppin'g p-funk bass lines. Some of the other tracks are not as memorable.
Obscure Galt MacDermot soundtrack release featuring Bernard Purdie on drums and MacDermot on Organ. It's slightly funky and sparsely produced, but makes for a nice listen. Nothing super funky here, but a nice album. You've got to love the cover too! Check out "Golden Apples."
One of my favorite blaxploitation soundtracks is Johnny Pate's Brother on the Run. Released after he completed his amazing score for Shaft in Africa, Brother on the Run has an amazing theme song, as well as some of the nicest of Pate's arrangements. This has become a kind of second-tier holy grail for blaxploitation soundtrack collectors and no wonder. It's pretty good all the way through, though a few tracks such as the title track shine strongly through the mix. As good as this album is, it's not nearly as good as Superfly, Shaft or Willie Dynamite, all of which get top marks in my book. But if you're lucky enough to find a copy, pick it up. It was released on Perception, so that makes it somewhat difficult, though not at all impossible to find. I am loathe to admit I haven't seen the movie, but I hope to sometime in the near future.
Escorts, Moments, Whatnauts ... Optimistics ? The Optimistics were a Baltimore-based singing group formed by guitarist Billy Butler in the late 60s or early 70s. Before forming the Optimistics, Butler was a member of the Del-Capris and cut a record - "Momma I Think I'm in Love" All Platinum production genius George Kerr helps give the Optimistics a great sound, not unlike the Whatnauts (the album features an appearnce of Kerr's "Love is God Almighty" on side A) What's not to like about this album. It features mostly slower mid-tempo song styles made famous by Mr. Emotion, but it also includes the slamming funk cut "Man" and its side-B soul brother "If I could Influence Man" There is some really great falsetto work on this album in addition to nice string arrangements on the northern-style "Say it Baby" Start looking for this now.
What an amazing cover! Overall an adequate soul and funk album that pleases with tracks like "In the Beginning" and "Yesterday's Dream" Also includes a great cover of "Stone Soul Picnic". However, the production here includes too much noodling guitar for my taste. As a result the album sometimes veers off course into psychedelic territory. "Easy to be Hard" sounds a bit like a Marvin Gaye outtake from the early 70s. This album even includes a ballad that features four-part doo-wop harmonies. Interesting album, but not necessary. |
